September 12, 2016

Circle Composition Four WIP, Sep 4, 2016, Oil on Canvas, 6″ X 6″

Circle Composition Four WIP, Sep 12, 2016, Oil on Canvas, 6″ X 6″

Circle Composition Five WIP, Sep 4, 2016, Oil on Canvas, 6″ X 6″

Circle Composition Five WIP, Sep 12, 2016, Oil on Canvas, 6″ X 6″

Circle Composition Six WIP, Sep 4, 2016, Oil on Canvas, 6″ X 6″

Circle Composition Six WIP, Sep 12, 2016, Oil on Canvas, 6″ X 6″

I’ve added another layer to each of these pieces – all being a mix of Paynes Grey and cold wax medium. And these really are about layers. This is all about playing with the cold wax medium and transparency and I am trying not to get attached to anything along the way. The trick is going to be deciding when to stop.

Untitled WIP, Sep 4, 2016, Oil on Canvas, 6″ X 6″

Untitled WIP, Sep 12, 2016, Oil on Canvas, 6″ X 6″

When I looked at this one again, it seemed to have lost a lot of it’s brightness and I found it quite dull – so I decided to add a lighter colour and pull out the grid pattern a little more with a bit of Naples Yellow mixed with cold wax medium. And I dulled down a few areas with Paynes Grey mixed with cold wax medium. Looking at it beside last week’s version I’m not sure it’s an improvement. Too late now though. And I still don’t know which way is up (with the painting that is). I think today’s orientation emphasizes the cross that is emerging a little too much. I will try something else with it next week and see what happens.

September 6, 2016

This week I decided to play some more with cold wax medium and created a first layer on two 6″ canvases, and added a layer to another two 6″ canvases to repurpose them in a new direction. I don’t think any of these are finished though.